Study links drinking tea to smaller waistlines in men
Men who want to trim down their midsection may want to consider swapping their coffee habit for tea, according to the findings of a new study.
Researchers at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, looked at the relationship between coffee and tea drinking, and abdominal obesity in more than 3,800 adults who participated in the 2003-2004 U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, according to WebMD.
They found that men who drink more than two cups of tea per day have trimmer waistlines than men who drink coffee or nothing at all. In addition, men who use sugar in their tea have smaller waistlines compared to men who use artificial sweeteners.
The benefits of drinking tea were not the same for women, however. Researchers say women who drink tea with milk or with artificial sweeteners had smaller waistlines.
"The potential association between coffee/tea and abdominal obesity is not trivial considering that more than 60 percent of the adult population drinks coffee/tea,and that these beverages can be consumed as frequently as 10 times per day," said researcher D. R. Bouchard.
Excess abdominal weight is considered a risk factor for heart disease and diabetes, among other conditions.
Researchers say their findings highlight the need for further investigation on the benefits of drinking tea and reducing abdominal obesity for both men and women.
